Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Punta del Este and Maldonado

For one person, living is cheaper in Maldonado: $1,368 a month against $1,876 in Punta del Este, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Punta del Este outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

90

Cost of Living Index in Punta del Este
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Punta del Este Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Maldonado
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Maldonado Living Index

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Punta del Este

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,876

/mo nomad

Maldonado

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Punta del Este and in Maldonado

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Punta del Este and in Maldonado actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,876 in Punta del Este versus $1,368 in Maldonado.

Punta del Este $1,876
Maldonado $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,682 in Punta del Este versus $2,178 in Maldonado.

Punta del Este $2,682
Maldonado $2,178

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,488 in Punta del Este versus $2,988 in Maldonado.

Punta del Este $3,488
Maldonado $2,988

Living in Punta del Este is roughly 37% more expensive than in Maldonado, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Punta del Este 38% above, Maldonado 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.31 UYU 534

$14.87 UYU 597

-10.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 UYU 1,727

$54.9 UYU 2,202

-21.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.58 UYU 545

$13.91 UYU 558

-2.37%

Cappuccino

$4.60 UYU 184

$4.57 UYU 183

0.66%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 UYU 94.0

$2.65 UYU 106

-11.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 UYU 79.8

$2.10 UYU 84.2

-5.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.93 UYU 118

$2.95 UYU 118

-0.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 UYU 141

$3.62 UYU 145

-3.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 UYU 45.17

$1.13 UYU 45.19

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 UYU 113

$2.70 UYU 109

4.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 UYU 70.0

$1.77 UYU 71.1

-1.69%

Eggs

$4.35 UYU 174

$3.98 UYU 160

9.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$14.11 UYU 566

-15.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.25 UYU 452

$11.31 UYU 454

-0.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.93 UYU 479

$11.61 UYU 466

2.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 UYU 114

$2.79 UYU 112

1.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 UYU 114

$2.14 UYU 86.0

32.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 UYU 71.7

$1.75 UYU 70.2

2.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.16 UYU 127

$3.15 UYU 126

0.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 UYU 80.8

$2.00 UYU 80.2

0.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 UYU 83.9

$2.00 UYU 80.4

4.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 UYU 56.2

$1.43 UYU 57.4

-2.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 UYU 78.8

$1.95 UYU 78.3

0.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$5.51 UYU 221

1.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.33 UYU 334

$8.13 UYU 326

2.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 UYU 93.9

$2.32 UYU 93.3

0.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 UYU 112

$2.71 UYU 109

3.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.41 UYU 56.8

-3.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 UYU 2,017

$48.89 UYU 1,962

2.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 UYU 76.3

$3.40 UYU 136

-44.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.19

$0.44 UYU 17.53

-9.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.71 UYU 390

$10.25 UYU 411

-5.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 UYU 85.1

$2.24 UYU 89.9

-5.36%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.4K UYU 1.1M

$26.6K UYU 1.1M

-0.77%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$36.0K UYU 1.4M

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

-2.59%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$114 UYU 4,561

$116 UYU 4,644

-1.77%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$21.05 UYU 845

$19.18 UYU 770

9.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.10 UYU 1,770

$45.04 UYU 1,808

-2.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 UYU 2,240

$48.23 UYU 1,936

15.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.52 UYU 743

$30.20 UYU 1,212

-38.68%

Cinema Ticket

$12.15 UYU 488

$12.05 UYU 484

0.83%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$505 UYU 20.3K

$496 UYU 19.9K

1.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,635 UYU 266.3K

$6,515 UYU 261.5K

1.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.8 UYU 3,563

$90.3 UYU 3,625

-1.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.73 UYU 1,474

$37.34 UYU 1,498

-1.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 UYU 5,045

$125 UYU 5,014

0.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 UYU 4,801

$118 UYU 4,729

1.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 UYU 44.7K

$426 UYU 17.1K

160.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 UYU 33.3K

$315 UYU 12.7K

163.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,917 UYU 76.9K

$919 UYU 36.9K

108.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 UYU 47.4K

$601 UYU 24.1K

96.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,822 UYU 153.4K

$2,803 UYU 112.5K

36.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,964 UYU 78.8K

$1,541 UYU 61.8K

27.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,072 UYU 43.0K

$1,014 UYU 40.7K

5.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Punta del Este: October 18, 2026

Last update for Maldonado: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Punta del Este

$830 44.3%

Maldonado

$315 23.1% 62% $515

Groceries & Markets

Punta del Este

$319 17%

Maldonado

$317 23.2% 0.7% $2.2

Eating Out

Punta del Este

$241 12.9%

Maldonado

$257 18.8% 6.3% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Punta del Este

$179 9.5%

Maldonado

$180 13.2% 0.6% $1.1

Clothing & Footwear

Punta del Este

$167 8.9%

Maldonado

$167 12.2% 0.1% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Punta del Este

$80 4.3%

Maldonado

$72 5.3% 9.7% $7.8

Getting Around

Punta del Este

$60 3.2%

Maldonado

$60 4.4% 0.8% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Punta del Este and $426 in Maldonado. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Punta del Este pays 6% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43.00 in Punta del Este vs $55.0 in Maldonado. Groceries flip the comparison at $319 vs $317, with Maldonado cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Punta del Este

🇺🇾 Maldonado

🕒 Local time

09:27 9:27 AM

Same time as Punta del Este

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,300

62,592

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Punta del Este Maldonado 6 km

From you

Punta del Este
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Punta del Este vs Maldonado: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Punta del Este and Maldonado differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($1,876 vs $1,368 including rent). Maldonado is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 6% higher in Punta del Este, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Punta del Este versus $426 in Maldonado. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $505 in Punta del Este versus $496 in Maldonado. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Punta del Este. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,368 in Maldonado versus $1,876 in Punta del Este, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Maldonado but tight or insufficient in Punta del Este. The gap between the two cities makes Maldonado the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Punta del Este and Maldonado are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Maldonado gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Punta del Este. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.